Description

Like its neighbor, Junior's Last Laugh, this obscure but fun route climbs through a big roof on the upper reaches of the East Face. The name comes from a comment during the FA, when a light rain turned the usually reasonable lichen into slippery, "velvety" patches that nearly caused a big fall.

From the right side of the big tree ledge, climb up and right toward the roof. Navigate (gently!) to the right of some loose rock, then move up and a little right through the main part of the roof. Before you pull out of the steeps, pause to get good gear: the next few moves are hard and offer little protection. Once on the slab, climb carefully through the (hopefully dry) lichen to the two-bolt anchor at the end of P3 of Hidden Crack.

Location

This route starts off the right end of the big tree ledge at the end of the third pitches of Hidden Crack and Rip van Winkle.